Reigning Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir yesterday crushed the women’s-only world record in winning the 44th London Marathon, while Kenyan compatriot Alexander Mutiso Munyao pulled away from Ethiopian distance great Kenenisa Bekele to win the men’s race.
Thirty-year-old Jepchirchir crossed the finish line in front of Buckingham Palace in two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds to break Mary Keitany’s mark of 2:17.01 set in a women’s-only race at the 2017 London event.
Jepchirchir pulled away from a group of four in a sprint finish, before collapsing to her knees in tears having beaten the fastest field of women ever assembled.
Photo: AP
“I thought the race would be fast and that the record would go, but I was not expecting it to be me,” Jepchirchir said.
“It’s because I believe in myself. As I crossed the finish line, I thought about how grateful I am for this to be my last event representing Kenya before I head to Paris [the Olympics],” she said. “I now know I have a great chance to defend my title in Paris.”
Munyao, 27, who was pushed by Bekele until the final couple of kilometers, won the men’s race in 2:04.01, pumping his fist several times en route to the biggest victory of his career.
“I’m happy for winning the race today and at 40km I got some pressure from Kenenisa Bekele, but I had a lot of confidence because I trained for this race,” Munyao said.
Thirty seconds of applause marked the start of the men’s race in memory of world record-holder and last year’s winner Kelvin Kiptum, who died in a car accident in February, at the age of 24.
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